Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Daily Bread_January 28, 2014

Title: How Close Is Your Relationship with the Lord?

Text:

1 John 3:1 (HCSB)
1
Look at how great a love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children. And we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know Him.

Revelation 2:4-7 (HCSB)
4
But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love [you had] at first.
5
Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.
6
Yet you do have this: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
7 “Anyone who has an ear should listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. I will give the victor the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in God’s paradise.

Observation:

Today, I have the children of God on my mind. I read a blog yesterday that wrote about the results of a survey of people who were once very active in the Church, but have dropped out completely.  I read another article about the number of Churches that are dying, and many of them will close their doors if they don’t make significant changes.

Perhaps these and other reasons are why these verses are on my mind as I sat down to write this morning.

Notice that the complaint against the Church at Ephesus is that they had left, not lost, their first love. What do you do when the honeymoon is over?

Jeremiah 2:2 (HCSB)
2 “Go and announce directly to Jerusalem that this is what the LORD says: I remember the loyalty of your youth, your love as a bride— how you followed Me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

Here is what we need to do to maintain that personal and intimate relationship with our Lord; He wants first place; He is pleased with nothing less.

Revelation 2:5 (HCSB)
5 Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent.

Prayer:

Our Father in heaven, my dear Father, O how I long to have a close and intimate walk and fellowship with my Savior. Lord, You know that I have feet of clay. I cannot make it through this world without You leading me, guiding me, and strengthening me.

Father, make me more like Jesus. Father God, what I ask for myself, I also ask for all of Your believing children. I’m asking in the name that is above every name, Jesus the Christ of God, Amen.

“I am Thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice,
And it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith,
And be closer drawn to Thee.”

Source: http://www.hymnal.net/en/hymn.php/h/387#ixzz2rhVCSijs



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Psalm 119:105 (HCSB)
105 Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.

Psalm 2:8 (HCSB)
8 Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance and the ends of the earth Your possession.


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